FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key benefits of outsourcing credit control?
Outsourcing credit control to a professional team delivers a consistent, structured approach to managing outstanding debt that most in-house teams simply do not have time to maintain. Key benefits include improved cash flow, reduced debtor days, lower costs than in-house hiring, and peace of mind that your invoices are being chased professionally without straining your customer relationships.
Who uses outsourced credit control services?
Outsourced credit control is used by UK businesses of all sizes — from sole traders and start-ups to established SMEs with significant sales ledgers. It is particularly popular with businesses that have grown quickly, lack dedicated credit control staff, or whose owners find invoice chasing time-consuming and uncomfortable. Any business that issues invoices and wants to be paid on time can benefit.
Why should I consider outsourcing my credit control?
Late payments cost UK SMEs an estimated £1.6 billion per year in lost productivity and financing costs (Federation of Small Businesses, 2023). Outsourcing credit control removes the burden from business owners, reduces debtor days, and introduces a professional, consistent process that is difficult to maintain internally when running a busy operation. It is often more affordable than most business owners expect.
What is white-label credit control — and does that credit control offer it?
White-label credit control means that all contact with your customers — emails, letters, and telephone calls — is made using your business name and branding, not ours. To your customers, it appears as though your own internal team is managing the process. that credit control offers a fully white-label service, ensuring a seamless and professional experience for your customers from sale through to payment.
How does outsourced credit control affect my existing accounts team?
that credit control works alongside your existing accounts team rather than replacing them. Many of our clients have a bookkeeper or part-time accountant managing the financial records, and we slot in as the specialist credit control function — handling all customer-facing invoice chasing so your internal team can focus on reconciliations, reporting, and other tasks. The handover process is designed to be smooth and straightforward.
How does outsourced credit control actually work?
that credit control manages your outstanding sales ledger on your behalf, making regular contact with your customers via follow-up emails, formal letters, statements, and proactive telephone calls. We can operate under your business name for a completely seamless experience. We report back to you regularly so you always know the status of every overdue invoice.
How much does outsourced credit control cost?
that credit control operates on a fixed monthly retainer, tailored to the size of your sales ledger and the level of support you need. This gives you full cost clarity with no commission charges, no hidden fees, and no long-term contract lock-in. To receive a personalised quote, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation — we will design a service around your specific requirements.
Will outsourced credit control damage my customer relationships?
This is the most common concern we hear — and the answer is consistently no. that credit control uses a courteous, professional approach calibrated to your customer relationships and your specific payment culture. We aim to maintain and strengthen your customer relationships, not damage them. Our team understands the difference between persistence and pressure, and always represents your business with care.
Is there a minimum contract length or commitment?
that credit control operates on a flexible, fixed monthly retainer with no lengthy contract lock-in. We believe the best way to retain clients is to deliver results — not to tie businesses into long agreements they cannot leave. If your circumstances change, we can discuss adjusting the service level or concluding the arrangement with reasonable notice.
How do I get started with that credit control?
Getting started is straightforward. Contact our team and we will arrange a free, informal consultation to discuss your business, your customers, and your outstanding invoices. We will then prepare a proposal and, once agreed, plan the process together and begin when you are ready.
read our case studies
Case Study 1.
A business that needs help with their credit control because they have grown significantly and taken on new customers. Their sales ledger and invoices have increased and are becoming more difficult to manage.
The difficulty with some businesses when they grow is they do not have sufficient processes in place to chase and collect payments. This means that the sales ledger becomes hard to manage and prolonged debtor days cause problems with cash flow. The increased workload from raising and chasing invoices takes time away from the business owner and uses up valuable resources collecting payments.
By outsourcing the credit control function, a fully managed process can be implemented. This can include pre-due date invoice reminders as well as telephone calls to manage invoice queries and disputes early. This helps ensure invoices are paid timely and to terms. All calls and emails can be sent using the clients’ business branding. The business can continue to grow and focus on sales, whilst reducing debtor days and improving cash flow.
Case Study 2.
A large portion of outstanding debt sitting at 90-120 days overdue on the aged debt report. The business owner is faced with potential bad debt and writing off significant income. Sales teams are often asked to chase payments on sales they made 3 months prior, splitting their valuable time between selling and chasing debts. This is not their expertise and takes time away from profitable selling activities.
In situations like this, most of the staff can often become involved with collecting invoices, which means there is not a consistent approach, and it ultimately has little to no effect on the amounts owed by customers. Older debts often require time, a careful approach and expert skills solely focused and dedicated to collection.
The aim is to put a fast and simple process in place that makes a difference straight away. The credit control function needs to be managed from the point the invoice is raised, building strong relationships with customers early in the process, which will reduce the number of days the invoice is outstanding. Staff are able to concentrate on their roles and the business can continue to grow with an improved cash flow.
Case Study 3.
A business with thousands of customers, high volume, low value invoices every month. The business typically does not have any issue with customers paying on time, but due to the current economic environment, the debtor book has grown significantly with many customer delaying payment.
Many customers are trying to preserve their own cash flow for as long as possible by delaying payments to suppliers. The sales ledger and overdue invoices have moved from 30-60 days, to 90-120 day+ and are now at risk of becoming bad debts.
We provide a credit control service working alongside their existing accounts team. We review and improve the existing credit control process with new and additional points of customer contact, which includes pre-due date verification, statements and courtesy calls. We then take over when the debt becomes 60+ days overdue. Using a balance of polite and persistent calls and emails to chase debts professionally, we work to ensure payment terms are adhered to. Where the debt in unrecoverable, we prepare and liaise with a legal recovery service to issue letters before action. We manage the whole credit control process for a monthly fixed fee.
working with us.
Handing over any part of your business to an outsourced company can be daunting at first if you have not done so before, however it is often beneficial to use experts in certain fields. Much like trusting your accountant to deal with your tax and financial reporting, it is important to find a credit control team that will support you and look after your customers delicately and assertively whilst collecting the outstanding debts.
Talk to us today.
To find out more about our credit control services and how we can help improve your invoice payments process, please contact our team.